Search for Thousands of Missing Votes in Sarasota County Congressional Race

Tallahassee, Fla. - On Tuesday, December 19th, at 1 p.m., a state judge in Tallahassee, Florida, will consider whether representatives of Florida voters will gain access to voting machines and software in a contested election for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for Florida's 13th congressional district.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other election advocacy groups last month filed suit on behalf of Sarasota County voters – both Republicans and Democrats – and are demanding a thorough investigation into potential electronic voting machine malfunctions. State and local election officials, however, continue to object to making the electronic voting machines and software available for examination. Tuesday's hearing will consider, among other issues, whether such materials must be made available to outside experts.

According to the electronic voting machines used during the November general election, more than 18,000 people in Sarasota County – approximately 15% of the voter turnout – did not cast a vote for any congressional candidate for this hotly contested seat. Instead of performing a robust analysis of the County's voting machines and software, the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission certified Vern Buchanan as the winner by 363 votes. The voters' lawsuit contends that thousands of voters were likely disenfranchised by machine-related problems.

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